Aug 08

19

Two major car organisations have joined forces to make a formal protest about the sale of vehicles in the street. It has become a common sight in Tenerife to see “For Sale” signs on the windscreens of cars parked in a variety of locations. Sometimes it is just a one-off by a private individual but in other cases, there can be as many as ten or even more cars illegally on sale.

Now, urgent action is being called for to get rid of them once and for all. The campaign is being led by La Asociación de Empresarios de Compra-venta de Automóviles Nuevos y de Ocasión de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Asate) and la Federación Regional Canaria de Empresarios Importadores y Concesionarios de Automóviles (Fredica).

They have approached all the mayors of the island for support, saying the sales are not only illegal but “disloyal competition.”

Asate president José Manuel Martin has asked Fredica to open talks with those involved. They say the cars are parked in all sorts of places, including side streets and public car parks.

Sr. Martin says it is a “serious risk” to the consumer as no guarantee accompanies the sale.
He points out that a recent investigation showed that 58 per cent of the cars sold had defects that affected the safety of the vehicles and more than half were serious, such as the tyres. “These problems are avoided if you buy or sell a car through a professional, independent or concessionary salesman because all the vehicles have a guarantee,” he said.

They have also warned about an internet fiddle involving fake web pages showing cars for sale and say consumers must be confident about where they buy a car from.